Diving In: Exploring Hyberbaric Oxygen Therapy

Five-year-old Luke Xavier Bastible was diagnosed at 13 months with autism. Although his mother, Kim, described him as “affectionate and cuddly,” she admitted that he continues to be challenged by a language barrier, which has been very difficult to break. Luke, said Kim, is still in diapers and sleeps only about two to three hours per night. And, as a result of his ABA (applied behavioral analysis) therapy, said Kim, “Luke is very robotic.” After attempting numerous alternative treatments including the specific carbohydrate diet, anti-fungals and other biomedical treatments, Kim and her husband Kieran, decided to explore Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) at The Northport Wellness Center’s new affiliate, Hyberbarics of Great Neck, PC to help heal their son’s body in the hopes of improving his condition overall.

HBOT is a medical treatment that saturates the body with 100 percent pure oxygen under increased atmospheric pressure. According to Harman Diler, technician at Hyperbarics of Greatneck, the cells of the body become saturated with oxygen to a far greater degree in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber than they ever would become on their own. Diler explained, “The air we normally breathe contains only 19-21 percent of this essential element; the concentration of oxygen normally dissolved in the bloodstream is thus raised many times above normal - up to 2000 percent.”

HBOT functions on the basis of accumulation, explained Diler. Each time a patient goes inside the chamber, more oxygen is added to the body. According to Diler, for optimal results, 20, 30 or 40 treatments or dives are recommended, which, depending on the individual’s diagnosis, can range from one hour and 20 minutes to two hours total.

In addition to the healing benefits HBOT offers to the blood, all body fluids including the lymph and cerebrospinal fluids may reap the healing benefits of the molecular oxygen presented in the HBOT chamber, said Diler. “It can reach bone and tissue, which are inaccessible to the red blood cells, enhance white blood cell function, and promote the formation of new capillary and peripheral blood vessels,” he said.

Because HBOT reaches so many otherwise hard to reach areas in the body, said Diler, it has the potential to more efficiently heal a wide range of conditions including but not limited to carbon monoxide poisoning, diabetic foot ulcers, anemia, lyme disease, radiation tissue damage, anoxic encephalopathy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, sport related injuries, traumatic brain injury, gangrene and autism. HBOT, said Diler, can also aid in the process of healing wounds caused by ulcers, diabetes, post surgery and post plastic surgery. “This can sometimes be the difference between losing a limb or fighting off infection,” he noted.

Other benefits to HBOT, said Diler, include its ability to aid in detoxifying the body, reducing fatigue, increasing immunity, decreasing swelling, as well as pain management. Diler added, “It can promote growth of new blood vessels and aid in the waking of dormant brain cells.”

HBOT has minimal side effects and risks, according to Diler. The most common side effect, he said, is “ear pain that can range from feeling like having water in your ears to something like a sinus squeeze if the patient is unable to equalize or pop their ears.” According to Diler, the pressure is most similar to the experience of being on an airplane during taking off. “Some children do not understand this concept and their most common reaction is crying,” said Diler. “But crying is good during ascending and descending, as it helps equalize the ears by popping them.” While in the chamber, patients may also drink water to help with the pressure, Diler said.

The HBOT chamber’s frame is made out of metal, while the body of the chamber is acrylic and looks like a clear tube, said Diler. To help the diver adjust to and feel comfortable throughout each HBOT treatment, each chamber is equipped with cable television and a DVD player. “While in the chamber, the patient may relax and watch television, a DVD, listen to music, or just sleep,” said Diler.

Case Study: Luke Bastible

Luke Bastible took his first dive on June 30. Dressed in a “cute pair of green doctor scrubs and looking very cute,” described his mother, he willingly entered the HBOT chamber and rested on his father’s stomach. Kim said, “He did start to cry a little when they starting going down, which was actually helpful as it helped him equalize the pressure in his ears.” But once equalized, she noted, “he was fine.”

Throughout his dive, said Kim, Luke watched TV and giggled while playing with his father. While he did get a little “antsy” towards the end of his dive, said his mother, “Overall, he held up pretty well.”

According to Kim, Luke is scheduled to make 30 dives in the near future and 30 more later on. His first dive took him to the equivalent of about 14 feet below sea level and lasted approximately 90 minutes, she said.
Kim hopes that HBOT will help to improve her son’s challenges due to autism. She said, “I would love for Luke to be potty trained. When I was pregnant, I never thought that I'd still be changing diapers on a five-year-old. Not that I mind, but for him I would like him to be trained. I would really love for him to have better cognition and increased speech. I would love for him to not be so robotic.”

According to Kim, who is also a physician’s assistant, HBOT makes scientific sense. She said, “Increased oxygenation increases blood perfusion thereby decreasing brain and gut inflammation … who could argue with that?”

Note: The Northport Wellness Center will continue to follow and report on the journey of Luke Bastible throughout his hyperbaric oxygen therapy in upcoming newsletters.